US Defense Secretary and an Iranian lawmaker are among
representatives from 25 countries to take part in a security meeting
in Bahrain.

Gates, who will retain his post when president-elect Barack Obama
takes office, will attend the Manama Dialogue on Friday, AFP
reported.

Rapporteur of Majlis Commission on National Security and Foreign
Policy Kazem Jalali will represent Iran in the meeting, according to
John Chipman, director general of the International Institute for
Strategic Studies, under whose auspices the conference has been held
each year since 2004.

Bahrain's Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmad al-Khalifa, has
called for establishment of a new organization to include all
countries in the region "without exception" to solve common problems.

Khalifa said that he recognizes that the US has a role in the region
but said Washington "has no magic wand" to sort out the region's
difficulties.

"Our firm conviction in the importance of dialogue and enhanced
cooperation compelled us to propose... the establishment of a
regional organization in which all countries in the Middle East and
North Africa region are members without exception," the minister
said.

Balance of forces in the region, the economy and security, both in a
regional and global context are among the main topics to be discussed
in the three-day event.